The researchers found that bike-share users are a practical bunch: they tend to use bike-share to reach transit, if it’s far away from them. If their trips are shorter, they use bike-share instead of transit—the effect of which could be freeing up space on crowded transit lines.

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A new study from the National Association of City Transportation Officials [PDF] adds credence to the theory that station density is a key factor in whether a bike-share system will flourish or flop. In its analysis of bike-share systems across the U.S., NACTO found that stations that are close to other stations see more use. […]

Bike-share is excellent in multiple ways. It eases traffic congestion in large, dense cities. It increases transit use in suburbs and smaller cities. And in all kinds of cities, it reduces auto use. It also has its drawbacks. These are the results found by researchers Susan Shaheen and Elliot Martin when they studied established bike-share […]

Jay Walder argues that bike-share combines the best of mass transit, with the convenience of private ownership. "Bike-share is not evolutionary, it's revolutionary. It's the first time we've thought about a transit system that says: you go, you decide where you want to be. It's personalized mass transit."